In each loop, Jane alters something to see if it'll change the outcome.

The sigil that appeared on your hand, brought you to Alice-- that was Jane trying to get the ball rolling, trying to get you all together, working fast, and we all know how well that particular great idea worked out, don't we?

So has anything actually helped?

So far, all the loops end in your death.

How many times have I died?

39.

39 times.

And if you die a 40th, at least I won't have to hear you ask me this question ever again.

Jane's dead, Quentin.

The loop's done.

There's no one to reset it.

So this is it?

This isn't my problem.

My problem is that I'm strong enough to discern a time loop but not strong enough to change it.

We better hope and pray that Jane altered the right thing this time around.

Anything else, Quentin?

What's different this time?

Please, no books on the floor.

I love this one.

Photos from places I can't imagine.

I know you hate it now, but travelers wrote our most precious books.

The library is what it is because of them.

You make it sound so simple and fun.

No.

But it is valuable.

And in my observation, master travelers have a fantastic time doing it.

I was looking for any technical info that would get me anywhere close to mastery, but--

The books you seek are in another branch.

Of course they are.

Look, could you-- could you expedite that sh1t?

I don't have much time, and I really need to know how to take people with me.

I'll put in a request.

Why am I not feeling optimistic?

Probably because Franz Kafka wrote "The Trial" after spending a week in the library.

But, Penny, if you can survive long enough, you will get a handle on it.

I promise.

If?

Say that in my book?

No spoilers.

[eerie music]

♪ ♪

[knock at door]

Hi.

I was at Brakebills.

You were supposed to be.

Or you were, like, 39 times.

You were the thing they changed.

Jane thought, you know, cast you out in the cold, and you would get stronger, and--

So I was right.

The whole time, I was right.

I don't know what to say, Jules. I...

I should have believed you, Jules.

I should have known, and I'm--I'm...

Um...

Look, that doesn't make up for what I did to you, which was stupid and vindictive and really dangerous.

I'm so sorry, Q.

Thank you.

So how do we fix it?

I don't know.

I just know that I'm gonna get killed soon, and I don't really want to die being mad at my oldest friend.

I really f*cking missed you.

Yeah, me, too, actually.

You smell the same.

Okay, all right.

Uh... [clears throat]

So... [sighs]

Big conspiracy.

Wheels within wheels.

Julia doesn't go to Brakebills, and?

You're taking this a lot better than I would have.

It's because there is bigger, better magic in the world.

I mean, you would not believe some of the sh1t I've seen.

I can barely believe it.

Wha--what?

Some friends and I got into some pretty eclectic sh1t.

You and Kady?

Where is she?

On a mission.

They all are.

They got pretty strict marching orders.

From?

A goddess.

We summoned, and she came.

You mean, um, here?

To your loft?

You don't believe me. sh1t, I wouldn't either.

That is why she gave me proof.

Is that milk?

Yeah.

Cool, useless, kind of gross.

But look under the hood.

Oh, my God.

Who did this magic?

I told you. She did.

I mean, it was crazy.

It was like being on a massive dose of ecstasy.

When she touched me, it was like my psyche was defragging.

I mean, she-- she touched all of us.

She granted every petition.

She cured Menolly's breast cancer; she sent Richard to where he wanted to go.

I watched this.

I thought magic couldn't cure cancer.

Not regular magic.

Look, I can't lie, okay?

It was shitty going for a while there, not being in Brakebills, but I can't sit here now and think it was anything but fate.

Right, or just the right random combination.

Okay, suit yourself, nihilist.

I need your help.

I don't know how to get back, and, um, my friends, we got separated, and I just--I can't let them fight The Beast on their own, and I have to find a way, um--

Let me get this straight.

You want me to come to Fillory with you.

Uh, yeah.

Come here.

Holy sh1t. This is our table.

Kind of been planning this trip since we were nine.

We kind of have, huh?

Our Lady gave me a mission to--

I sound like a nutjob.

Kind of.

[chuckles]

What's the mission?

She said it was my destiny to basically find a whole new kind of magic.

You know, she said it was something that couldn't be given.

It had to be found.

So we have to find it.

And I bet you it's here.

So I guess we're off to see the Wizard.

Have you given any thought to how we're gonna get there?

Start of the London Blitz, 1940, and then their mom dies, 1941.

Q, where are you going with this?

Okay, so we can't just open a door to Fillory, but we do know when they open-- every time the Chatwins go.

So if we could just find a way to get there, then we could follow 'em in.

Uh...

Look, all I know is time magic is apparently a thing, a thing that's been dicking with us for the past 39 lifetimes.

So I say we find a way to make it work for us.

Wait, but that would put us in past Fillory, right?

Fillory is magic.

Remember, Jane falls in that swamp, and then she comes out 20 years later.

She strikes a deal with the Watcherwoman to send her back.

Once you're there, there's always a way.

I have an idea, something Richard told me, but we have to go somewhere to get it.

Brakebills.

Okay.

Uh, you just have to be a registered student in order to get through the wards.

Alumni key.

Richard gave it to me.

This place is impossible.

How does anyone find anything?

There's a whole wing on cat paintings.

What have you got? Anything?

"The Book of Mike McCormick."

Novella, really.

He was actually a Republican. Can you believe it?

But the worst part?

His life was happy.

Eliot, he's gone.

Why are you torturing yourself?

Because he's gone and it's my fault.

And of all the people in the world who don't understand, somehow you top the list.

What are you doing?

Putting the past behind me.

[gasps] No, stop!

Look, he's had a really bad week.

We'll pay the fine, whatever.

Nope, no, you are banished from the library forever.

It's one book.

No, it's a life.

They're irreplaceable.

No, wait!

What did you do?

Let's go.

"Bridge to ancient Rome."

"Bridge to the Cretaceous period."

Oh, hey, here's one.

"Southampton, England, 1912"?

[laughs] Voyage of the "Titanic."

Oh, fun.

So we're pretty sure these things only go to one specific point in time and--

Once you log a date in, you're locked.

I mean, they use some tiny piece of an incredibly rare element.

All got used up by the '70s.

Wait a minute.

Wait. Here's a thesis.

A bunch of students wanted to go back and kill Hitler.

"Operation Die Fuehrer." [scoffs]

Guess no one told 'em Hitler was a pretty serious battle Magician?

Yeah.

Uh, yep, and Hitler killed them.

Wait, what's the date on the time bridge?

Uh, it's April 19, 1942.

April 19th.

Yeah.

You remember the, uh-- yeah, "The Flying Forest."

Yeah, uh, Jane's going into town.

She's looking for a present for Martin.

April 21, 1942.

Two days after this time bridge.

Holy sh1t, Q, this could work.

I never thought I'd say it, but thank God for Hitler.

Yeah, no, that still sounds bad.

Yeah.

Earth fountain's blocked off.

I told you it would be.

It was worth a shot.

I mean, what else are we gonna do?

I don't know. How about not get us kicked out of the library in the first place?

All right, let's keep moving.

Hey. Don't walk one more step.

We're highly trained Earth magicians.

Hold up. Hold up. You guys are from Brakebills?

Dude, Josh Hoberman, class of '16.

Come with me if you want to live.

I've always wanted to say that.

[chuckles]

But seriously, um, we should go.

[dramatic music]

Welcome to ***.

You're welcome to whatever.

Just don't eat the carrots.

They're totally psychedelic for some reason.

Circumstances in the Neitherlands are super weird.

Holy sh1t.

This tastes like pizza.

Yeah, I know, right?

How long have you been down here?

A few weeks.

Just been camped out, waiting to see if anyone else will show up.

Anyone else?

From my class.

Look, don't freak, but back at Brakebills, nobody knows what happened to you guys.

And it's sort of been two years.

Oh, sh1t. Right, the whole time thing.

Victoria warned me about that.

Victoria? You know her?

She's the only reason I'm alive.

Look are you gonna tell us what the f*ck happened to your class, or what?

Where'd you guys go?

To Fillory for spring break.

V's amazing.

I mean, she literally blips around the universe, fearless.

Teachers put this tattoo on her to stop her.

She just cut it off herself.

Joshy.

What?

You're not gonna believe it.

What?

I did it. I found Fillory.

What?

I found Fillory!

Oh, my God!

Whoo! We're going to Fillory!

We're going to Fillory?

[laughs] Uh-huh!

So we decided to plan a trip.

You know, party, smoke out with the centaurs, be back in time for classes, but word got out to practically the whole first year class, except for a couple losers.

Luckily, V was so good, she was able to take them all with.

It was magical.

[chuckles] I mean, more magical than Brakebills, like going from black and white to color.

V and I had a threesome with a naiad.

This guy Donnie, he had s*x with a talking horse.

I mean, it's not exactly taboo in Fillory since the animals can give consent, but we were all still a bit squicked out.

We get it. You f*cked some animals.

How'd you end up here?

Got roped into this quest.

Ended up being a trap for Victoria.

This dude--Mothra, I've been calling him--

Yeah, we know that clown.

It was a bloodbath.

V zapped me here, and then she went back in.

Told me to stay put, so I have just been waiting.

V should have been here by now.

He caught her.

But she's still alive.

How do you know that?

I'm like her. It's why I'm here.

We can all go, rescue Victoria.

You can take us.

I... haven't exactly cracked the whole ride-along yet.

Okay, forget traveling.

Uh, we'll just take a fountain.

Except we don't know where the Fillory fountain is.

That's easy.

It's three squares up, one square left.

The problem is all the battle magic dick buckets waiting to vaporize us.

Discuss.

It's in the closet.

El and Margo made a door to their favorite pub in London.

They look like fun.

Look, you were supposed to be here.

You were supposed to be a part of this.

No, you know, I think Jane was right.

Had I been here living it up, I would have never felt the need to figure out what magic is actually for.

Okay, so what's magic actually for, then?

For fixing things, dummy.

Trust me.

I, uh, made a lot of mistakes before I figured that one out.

Yeah, everything I've been able to fix doesn't matter, just minor mendings and bullshit.

Yeah, well, if fixing big things were easy, everyone would do it.

Come on.

Alice.

Get some sleep.

[sighs]

I know.

I might as well.

I'll never figure this out.

Trying to think of how to get us all to the Fillory fountain without getting us killed.

Need a hand?

Look, Penny, I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, but--

Whoa, stop.

It was fun, okay?

You're one of the few people I actually respect.

Uh, yeah, you're right, right.

I'm just making this weird, huh?

Eh, it's weird.

We're weird. So what?

We're friends, right?

I just keep thinking about Quentin.

Look, I know.

I just keep thinking how awful it would be if, out of all of us, he was the one who didn't get to see Fillory.

And then I remember that I hate him.

f*ck, why am I such an idiot?

Okay.

Quentin is irrelevant.

Just another excuse for that thing you always do.

What thing?

"I should just give up.

I'll never figure it out."

sh1t got real.

If you're gonna drop that bullshit, now's the time.

Phosphoromancy.

I can bend light around us, all of us, the whole group, I think, make us invisible.

It'll be difficult with the two suns but not impossible.

We'll have to move in a pretty tight formation.

When should we leave?

As soon as possible.

The suns are just about in position.

It has begun!

Sorry.

Penny, Eliot, you're both tall, so you'll have to duck down and stay close to me, okay?